Brazil probes bribes in warplanes deal with Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- A sales consultant who admits to having paid bribes aircraft-maker Embraer SA told Brazilian prosecutors that he believes that senior company executives, including the CEO, Frederico Curado, was aware of illicit payments in the sale of military aircraft to the Dominican Republic.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Thursday reports that consultant Elio Moti Sonnenfeld made the statements after agreeing to cooperate with Brazilian authorities investigating a worldwide bribes scheme by Embraer.

In a statement Wednesday, Embraer said it was “fully cooperating” in the case against Curado, but declined to comment on Sonnenfeld’s allegations, claiming that the results of the investigation by company lawyers are confidential and have been revealed only to State investigators.

The WSJ reports that Embraer will cooperate in the investigation, a key point given most of the evidence against Sonnenfeld, according to a person with knowledge to the process, would’ve been provided by Embraer lawyers, the WSJ. “Tucanos suppliers offer “full cooperation” to Dominican authorities in an investigation into bribery.”

Last year Sonnenfeld told investigators he had received 3.4 million dollars in commission from Embraer by professional work that he never performed and transferred it as a bribe to officials in the Dominican Republic.

The bribes, according to the investigation, was paid after the sale agreement helped secure the contract which had a value of 92 million dollars for the eight Tucanos.

In 2014, Brazilian prosecutors initiated proceedings against Sonnenfeld and eight former vice-presidents, directors and managers of Embraer accusing them of corruption and money laundering from 2008 to 2010.

However, charges of corruption haven’t been lodged against the CEO of Embraer, the world’s third largest aircraft manufacturer after Airbus and Boeing.